Thursday, July 02, 2009

Welcome, KARIN TABKE!

Karin Tabke is guest blogging today, celebrating with us the release of her latest novel, MASTER OF CRAVING, available now from your favorite bookseller! This is the third in Karin's Blood Sword Legacy series and I seriously hope that you'll all check it out!Karin will be here to chat about her work - backlist, current and future releases included, and anything else that pops up, and will be taking your questions! No reasonable question will be refused! At the end of the day, Karin will be choosing one winner to receive their choice of a copy of JADED or a copy of MASTER OF SURRENDER (first in the Blood Sword Legacy) - good luck to all!I would remind everyone that Karin is in California, so those of us who are up and cracking with the early birds on the East coast and in the midwest, we'll have to be patient as we wait for her to get here!Welcome, everyone, and a big welcome to Karin!!

46 comments:

Good morning, Karin! I'll start off the questions while everyone wakes up - I'm wondering if you ever put touches of family or friends in your characters? Do you ever have an actual person or their personality/traits in mind when writing a character?

good morning everyone, and Laurie thank you so much for having me as your guest today!

Do I use actual people/traits in my stories? Yes, yes, YES! Not so much my historicals, but most def in my contemporaries. I like to use back story of people I know, *issues* of people I know, and personality quirks of people I know. lol, I write what I know!

Sorry it too me a while to get on this morning--I'm in CA, too, and uh, it took me a while to ride herd on the kids first. They're attending a day camp locally, but that means packing lunch and making sure they're dressed ;) And I'm trying an experiment where I have them write a few sentences every morning (OK, most mornings) about some topic, which for some reason, they haaaaaate...

Anyway, can you remind us how you came to be a writer? Did you always know that was what you wanted to be? What did you do in your "previous" life?

Hey Karin! I'm always curious how writers keep up the momentum in their stories, and whether they are pantsers or plotters. Which would you consider yourself to be?

I've tried writing (years ago) and my story always lost steam in the middle. It's like I lost my way. How do you deal with this, or do you have a pretty clear idea of where you want the story to go from start to finish?

Two of my best gals - Fedora and Stacy! Thanks so much for stopping and for the great questions! I'm incapable of thinking much deeper than "What do you eat for breakfast?" while you guys are brilliant!

I hope everyone is having a great day and gearing up for a long weekend. Thank heavens our office is closed tomorrow, and then I'm on vacation next week. More of a "stay-at-home-cation" but that's ok, I'm planning some mixers - seriously needed housework mixed with some afternoons at the pool.

I loved your book Good Girl Gone Bad and your story in the Christmas anthology.

If I remember right your husband is a policeman and that's why you incorporate law inforcement into your contemporaries. Do you use him for reserach as far as the technical stuff concerning police work/life goes? Will you have another book coming out soon with a law enforcement story line?

I haven't gotten a chance to read your historicals yet but have heard good things about them. What was the inspiration for you to write historicals...something so very different from your contemps? Can you tell me a bit more about this series? What time period is it set in and how intertwined are the books? Do they need to be read in order?

Fedora, love that you encourage (force? lol) your kids to write every day! They'll remember it and thank you for it someday, I'm certain!

Barb, you're another one with the great questions! Show off!

Cheri, what a great question about whether future books are already thought-out. I can't remember when I need more than one thing from the grocery so I very much admire the way authors can plot out and weave stories together.

Hi Karin. Congratulations on the release of Master of Craving. Love the cover. Since you write contemporary and historical novels, do you find it hard to switch from one genre to another? Which is harder to write?

I'm new to your writing and was wondering if you find it difficult to jump back and forth between your contemporaries and historicals. Or, are they different enough that it's fairly easy for you? And have you ever considered trying other genres as well?

Hello Crystal, Karin and Estella! More great questions for Karin! Mad skill, I'm telling ya! I'm glad you're all coming up with such good ones because I'm just not bright enough to think up anything so good!

Laurie, we'll see how the kids feel in a few more years. At the moment, my son's already declared that when he's grown up, he'll be living somewhere like Alaska and not only does he not plan to visit me, I won't be welcome to visit him! ;) My DD has promised to live near me *and* come visit regularly, bearing food :) We'll see how this plays out!

Cheri, not to jump in on Karin, but I think there are 8 Blood Swords, and I think she's got the next one or two planned. I think whether all of them get written ultimately depend on the publisher.

I love your website Karen! Your Knight series sounds really good. I'm going to put them on my to buy list. My question is the same as Cheri's. When you start a series, do you have an idea of where you want each character to go? Do you have a plot in mind already? Or do they evolve once you start writing their story?

Hey, Fedora! I wrote my very first romance in high school. i had a crush on rod stewart. the only way i could have him all to myself was to write our love story. And so it began. :) how's it going getting the kids to write every morning? I think that's a great idea btw.

Hey, Stacy!! I'm a panster who knows her h/h's gmcs before she beings a story. :) If when i get to the middle and the story is slowing down i throw an unexpected wrench in. It's unexpected to me and my characters. We all scramble to deal with it. When i sit down to begin a story, i have a general idea where the story will end, but the fun is getting there. ;)

Laurie, I need to do some housekeeping around here. So do not want to!

Hi, Barbara. Great questions! I'm glad you liked GGGB and Naughty Santa. I love writing hot cops, which segues nicely into your next question: Being married to a retired cop makes it easy to write what I know. I do run certain scenarios by him, but having lived that life for so long a lot of the procedures are permanently burned into my brain. My kids can probably still recite the CA vehicle code. It's funny, there was so much stuff going on in the PD that if I wrote about it, no one would believe me! I just sold a romantic suspense series, The Dirty Dozen meets Mission Impossible with slight paranormal elements in it. it's really dark, very gritty, of course sexy, but this series will have no parameters. anything goes. i'm really excited about it. first book comes out next june.

Way back in the day I read only historicals. medievals were my fave. I always wanted to write one. I doodled a few chapters, sent them to my agent, and next thing I know the Blood Sword Legacy as born. the series begins in 1066 and is the story of 8 mercenary knights who form a blood bond. each book stands on its own and can be read in any order.

Hi, Cheri! I hope to write 8 books in all. One for each Blood Sword. Right now I'm sold through book 4, which is being pushed back to make way for book one in my L.O.S.T. (Last Option Special Team) series, my new RS series. I do have book four, MASTER OF DECEPTION, Thorin's book semi GMC'd. I never know whose story will be next until the book before ends. Ya never know what can happen. ;)

Hey, Crystal! Thanks for the congrats. I love that cover too! I don't find it hard to switch genres so long as I don't have to write one of each simultaneously. Argh. I get a headache just thinking about it! The medievals are more brain work than the contemps. The contemps are easy, I write what i know. Everything is familiar to me. Not so 1066 England, no matter how much research I do, which is a lot. I'm obsessed with that time period.

How weird to see another Karin with an i! I feel like I'm commenting to myself! I don't have a problem genre hopping so long as it's not writing two books at the same time. Not sure I could do that even if they were the same genre. I'm pretty linear when it comes to my writing. My new L.O.S.T. series will have paranormal elements in it, and I did write a paranormal, REDEMPTION in the WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE, anthology i did with my gf's allison brennan and rocki st claire. I enjoy writing paranormal. the darker the better. :)

Laurie, I have to say, this is the first time ever, that I have blogged and been asked such interesting questions! Thanks, goils! Keep 'em coming!

Double Yippee, Cathy!!! Hmmm, one fun thing i like to do that surprises people? I like to hike for reptiles. One day I'm going to write a heroine who is herpetologist.

Hey, Judy! Funny you should mention NAUGHTY. :) I received an email from a reader this morning who was going gah gah over Ricco. What is it about those big hunky Latinos? As for your job not liking you to blog? Pfft! As to your question: Yes! All of the time. Sometimes they scare me!

Thank you Kaleen! I like my web site too! But I'm going to be getting it redesigned soon. As far as knowing where my characters are going to go, I do have to have their GMC's firmly in place before I begin. I need to know what they want, how bad they want it, and how far they will go to get it. of course the opposite will be true of their love interest. :) Conflict is good. real good.

Karin, I totally know what you mean about feeling like you're writing a comment to yourself. What gets weirder, though, is that my last name also starts with a T. lol

So, with all of the questions and comments about being married to a retired cop helping with your contemporaries, I have another question about it. Do you think you'd have chosen to write so much about cops if you hadn't married your husband? And, if you weren't writing about cops, do you think there's another profession you might have leaned toward for your heroes?

So, Karin, do you still have your story with Rod? I'm assuming it had a lovely HEA? :)

Right now the kids mostly resent it; it hasn't been too long yet. I think I might have to try some fictional-type story starters instead of some of the non-fiction questions/ponderings I've been encouraging. Mostly they just want to write about how much they hate having to write! Not too productive! ;P I'll keep you posted!

Rod Stewart, Karin? Really? I loved his music but always found him a little on the scrawny side! lol Do you remember the guy who played P.I. Matt Houston? Can't for the life of me remember his name (Lee something maybe??), but boy did I think he was primo!

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by, thanks for your excellent questions and special thanks to Karin for taking time out of her busy day to be here! I hope everyone has a safe, happy Independence Day - please be careful if you're going to be on the road.

Karin, I'll let you announce your winner whenever you're ready - feel free to hang out and chat as long as you wish.

Karin, I almost didn't respond, I thought your second comment was one of my comments! As to your question: hmmm, I think I would have tried to write cops, I mean they are vera sexy and I write RS, soooo...not sure what if any other profession I would write about. My husband does often tell me, "You're books are nothing without me, babe." He says it with a grin and is teasing, but he's pretty darn close to the truth. He has, and still is, an incredible inspiration and font of knowledge.

Fedora, not only did Rod and I have our love affair of all love affairs, we had twins, he wrote every hit song about me, I was New York's most top model ever *and* I had a pet wolf that went everywhere with me!

OMG! I can't believe I just admitted that to you! Please, don't tell anyone.

Lisa! So glad you could make it! Man, everyone loved that naughty Santa, huh? All of Karin's books are steamy and extremely sensual, including the historicals. I know what you like to read, Lisa, and guarantee that you won't be disappointed.

Mari, Thank you for popping in! You know, I sort of cut my romance reading teeth on historicals, but got away from them a few years ago. I've made an effort to mix some back into my reading and have enjoyed them very much.

Better late than never, Booklover! Your question about when to expect the first L.O.S.T. book makes me wonder if Karin can share with us what type of paranormal touches they will have. I love romantic suspense very best and am looking forward to this series.

Yo, Booklover! Glad you made it despite the craziness of your day. The first L.O.S.T. book is scheduled to release June '10. I can't wait.

Fedora, trust me, that story had everything.

Laurie, I can't go into a lot of detail about the book, but I can tell you this: At this point all of my L.O.S.T. members, and they are quite a group, are either rogue cops, bad ass feds, or ex military. Each one is a misfit who finds a second life as L.O.S.T.. L.O.S.T. is a covert op that does what the CIA can't get away with doing anymore. Each L.O.S.T. operative will have his or her own book.

It's dark, gritty, sexy as hell and no boundaries. I love being able to just run naked through the pages so to speak with this story.

About Me

I've been married for 34 years (yes, Hub robbed the cradle), have two beautiful daughters, 23 and 28. We have a basset hound, Simon, and three cats, Sophie, Tony and Penny. I work full-time as a legal assistant. I enjoy reading, baking and walking. I write book reviews for the online review site, Romance Junkies.

PLEASE NOTE . . .

It is the responsibility of anyone who enters a contest on my blog to stop back and find out if they're a winner. I will not attempt to track you down. If I don't hear from a winner within the number of days specified when the winner is announced, I will draw a new name.